Seventh Heaven
by rfluvr27
Summary: Derek Morgan is a BAU agent who is definitely not looking for love when he stumbles upon something he just can't live without. Will he be able to let go of his stubborn attitude before it's too late? Everyone is present, but the main focus is on Morgan and an OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! This is the first fanfic that I've written and decided to share with the internet, so please review it and let me know what you think! I'm always open to pointers. :)**

Jolene faintly heard him walk into the room again. Her body burned with pain where every kick and punch had landed. She knew her leg was useless; she could feel her knee was dislocated. _He's going to kill me this time, but I'm not going down without a fight._ One eye was swollen shut but she forced the other one open. She could seem him practically running toward her through the fuzzy edges and black spots of her vision.

She gathered the last of the strength that she could muster, all she could find in the very core of her battered body. She lifted her arm, screaming through the searing pain of bones that she could feel grinding together as she made contact. Her arm burned white hot, and she felt her consciousness slip away.

xxxxxxx

"Hotch, I've got a girl in here!" Derek Morgan yelled to his supervisor. He holstered his weapon and walked toward the lifeless body. He had prayed that they wouldn't find another victim; this would bring the serial arsonist turned killer's total up to 7. As he approached her body it suddenly came to life. She swung her arm out and connected with his chest causing him to jump back in surprise. He heard the bones in her broken arm grind against each other from the force of her punch, and then watched her go limp again.

"Morgan; get out now there's a bomb!" Hotchner yelled urgently from the front of the house.

Derek sprang into action, his body taking over causing him to act rather than think. He roughly grabbed the broken girl before him. She was cool to the touch, but he knew she was still alive. He clutched her to his chest and ran as quickly as he could, launching himself over the coffee table in the living room and out the front door. He only made it a few dozen feet before feeling the pressure from the bomb on his back moments before the explosion knocked them both to the ground.

Derek lifted his head from the ground, his vision swimming from the force of the blast. He could sense the team rushing toward him. He reached out an arm and took the victim by the hand. Hotchner reached him first. Derek opened his mouth but couldn't hear himself over the ringing in his ears. He could read his name on Hotch's lips so he tried one last time as he could feel a wave of unconsciousness approaching.

"She's…. alive."

When Derek opened his eyes again he saw the flashing lights of the ambulance turning down the street. The house was in flames, and he was vaguely aware of Hotchner trying to get him to wake up. Derek could feel his body slipping back into the dark unconsciousness but he pushed it back. He closed his eyes and focused his thoughts toward the hand that he was holding. If he could just hold on, maybe she would too. He could feel himself muttering _she's alive, she's alive_ but he couldn't hear himself, and he wasn't sure anyone else could hear him either.

He didn't know that he had slipped into the blackness again until he woke up once more, this time on the ambulance. He was propped up against Hotchner, who was holding on to him. They had the girl on a stretcher and they were helping her. This time Derek felt stronger, and he could hear the slow beat of the heart monitor she was attached to.

"She's alive." He said again, looking over at his boss.

"Yeah Morgan, she's alive. Barely, and it's all because of you. Good work." A rare, small smile played on Hotch's face and he lightly squeezed Derek's shoulder. "Think you can stay awake this time buddy? They say that you're stable, but they want to check you for a concussion when we get to the hospital."

"Yeah, I'll be okay. It's unfortunately not the first time I've nearly been blown up." They both chuckled as a wave of nausea washed over Derek.

"Here." Hotchner handed him a bucket as he watched Derek's face turn green.

"Hey Hotch?" Derek asked when he was finished.

"Yeah?"

"Think I can apply for hazard pay for today?"

They both chuckled again as the ambulanced pulled into the hospital and Derek was led off into a wheelchair after the girl was rushed into surgery.

When Derek got to his room to wait on the test results he was met by another team member, J.J. She was one of the few girls that he worked with, and he could see that worry was covering her face. He grinned at her in an effort to calm her fears. Now that the nausea was passing and his ears weren't ringing any longer, he was actually beginning to feel much better. He figured he might have a mild concussion, and he had been treated for some minor burns on his back, but all in all it had been a much better prognosis than what he had originally anticipated.

"Derek are you okay?!" J.J. asked, rushing over to him as he walked into the room. "Hotch just texted me to tell everyone that you two were part of a bombing? And then he said something about you saving a seventh victim? What's going on?"

"I'm okay J.J. I promise. It's going to take more than a little bomb to take me out." He wrapped his arms around her in a quick hug to comfort her. "And yes, there was a seventh victim in the house, but she was still alive. Have you heard anything about her? Where is Hotch? I want to see her."

The more he was able to unscramble his mind, the more worried he became about this Jane Doe. They needed to figure out who she was so that they could contact her family and let them know about her condition. It wasn't very often that they found a victim that they weren't expecting while they were investigated a case, much less one that was still alive. A ghost of a smile played upon his lips as he remembered how she had tried to punch him when he first found her, but it didn't last long as he wondered what kind of torture she had been subject too.

The other six victims hadn't left them very many clues. They had all been found post explosion, so it was hard to tell what had happened to them before they died, what had happened postmortem, and what had been caused by the force and heat of the explosion. Derek remembered how light she had felt when he picked her up, yet how heavy her limp body had been. He knew that she at least had a dislocated knee and a broken arm, but he couldn't tell the extent of other injuries. Bruises must've been covered under a layer of grime, and who knows when the last time she had been offered anything to eat or drink. He only hoped that the blast and their fall hadn't caused too many other injuries.

"Are you okay Derek?" J.J. asked, putting her hand on his arm. He hadn't noticed that his hands had balled into fists while he had been lost in thought.

"Yeah I'm okay." He took a few deep breaths and forced himself to relax.

"To answer your questions I haven't heard anything about her, Hotch is speaking to doctors about her, and I don't think you can yet. You haven't even been discharged yourself. Why don't you sit down while we wait on your test results?"

"I don't want to sit." Derek began pacing the room. "We need to get to work. We need to find the bastard that did this to her."

"We will, I promise."

After what seemed like an eternity Derek was finally discharged from the hospital with minor burns and an extremely mild concussion. He immediately went looking for Hotchner to find out about their Jane Doe and figure out their next steps.

"I know that there is no use in telling you to go home, so let's go. We're heading back to the office to regroup and update everyone. I know they're worried about you." Hotch said as he walked into the waiting room.

"I'm fine. I keep telling you. Is our Jane Doe okay? How serious is it? Do we have a name yet? Anything?"

"I'll update you when we get back and get everyone together. But as of right now, it doesn't look good for her."

The fifteen minute drive back to HQ seemed to take an hour as the same questions kept rolling around in Derek's mind. _Why did the unsub choose her? Why hasn't anyone reported her missing yet? Surely someone has to be missing her. Who is she? Is she going to live?_

When Hotchner, J.J., and Derek got back to the offices they all made a b-line straight for the conference room where everyone else was gathered, including Derek's best friend Penelope Garcia. As soon as he walked in the room she jumped up and ran to him, wrapping him in a wordless hug.

"Easy baby girl, I'm okay." He pulled her close for a minute, finding comfort in her familiarity.

"You know, when I gave you the nickname Hot Stuff I didn't think you'd take it so literally." The room chuckled nervously at Garcia's joke, then settled down to get to work.

"Okay so there have been some new developments in the case today. We now have a victim who can hopefully give us a lot more information about our unsub seeing as how she is still alive. However, she is in very critical condition. She is very malnourished, has lost a lot of blood, has many broken bones in various stages of healing, and has been placed in a medically induced coma in hopes that it will help her body heal from the significant trauma it has sustained. That being said, we also don't know who she is. She has no identification on her, doesn't match any known reported missing persons files, and her DNA did not turn up any complete hits either. There was a partial match to a murder case a few years ago, and I called ahead and had Garcia pull up the file. This girl is currently our best link to the unsub, so we need to study her meticulously. Garcia." Hotchner nodded his head in her direction, wordlessly asking her to let the rest of the team know what she had found so far.

"Well the hit that her DNA turned up was a partial match to a Martin and Cassidy Abigail. They were murdered a few years ago along with their 10 year old son Trevor. She's the only surviving family member, Jolene. She was away at college when the rest of her family was murdered. There are no other family members.

I took the liberty of pulling up her social media accounts and she seems to only have one; a facebook account. I haven't been able to do the full extant of my snooping around, but upfront it appears as though she wasn't a very nice person and therefore doesn't seem to have any friends really. According to it she is also jobless and moved six months ago from Nashville after breaking up with her boyfriend." Garcia flashed some screen shots of Jolene's facebook account on the screen, and Derek couldn't believe the harsh words and messages that he was seeing.

"The content doesn't seem to match, some of it seems… off somehow." Spencer Reid, another member of the team spoke up as he read the facebook page.

"I agree Reid. You and Garcia look through all of it. I need you to get to know her inside and out. I want to know everything, down to what her favorite day of the week to eat ice cream is. J.J. and Prentiss, I want the two of you to shed some light on the boyfriend, make sure he's not the one we're looking for. Rossi and I will go back over everything we already have and make sure that we haven't missed anything. Morgan, you take it easy. Help out where you feel you would be best, or go home and rest. I know there's no use in telling you what I want you to do."

Derek smiled a small thanks at Hotchner and then got up to follow Reid and Garcia to Garcia's lair. He needed to get to know more about this girl. He felt bad for her; he had lost his father at a young age, so he could only image what it had been like for her to loose her entire family. Since she was alone, he planned on going and sitting with her when the hospital gave them the clearance to do so. In the mean time, he planned to absorb any information about her that he could.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello Readers! Here's the second installment! I'd love to hear from you guys, so please review!**

"So what do you think Reid?" Derek asked his genius coworker. They had been at it for only an hour or so, but with Reid's mind-blowing reading capabilities, Derek was sure he had been through Jolene's entire facebook profile at least twice.

"Well, there are definitely some inconsistencies, especially regarding the last eight months or so."

"I noticed that too. She gets quiet around the time her family is murdered, but she never gets mean. She even offers her support to a few friends who seem to be going through some tough times while she's dealing with the _death_ of her _family_. But then eight months ago she goes quiet for a few weeks and comes back meaner than she has ever been in her ten years of facebook usage." Penelope adds in.

"Can you look into that further Baby girl?" Derek questioned, getting up from his spot at a table in the corner with one of the BAU's laptops.

He had decided to start from the very beginning and had only made it a few years. So far he had gathered that she was a very genuine and caring person who loved dogs and music. She hadn't been your typical teenager. She started her facebook account on her 15th birthday, and in the beginning it had been full of pieces of songs she had written, her baby brother, and her dog. It went on with concerns about college, the joy of acceptance and the fears of moving away from her very close family. Nowhere did he find the usual catty posts of a teenage girl who rebelled against her parents and tried to impress her friends. Instead all the posts that she made were about loving her family and supporting her friends through any problems, including one who found out that she was pregnant and came to Jolene for advice. To his shock, she had actually given good advice that he would have expected from a 27 year old, not a 17 year old about to go away for college.

"What did you have in mind?" Garcia asked, looking up at Derek as he stood behind her. Reid walked over to join them as they stared over Jolene's life spread before them over Garcia's family of computers.

"Well if it's that different, what if it's not her? I started back in the teenage years and even then she was matured beyond her time. She doesn't have any of the typical highschool drama filled posts. Hell, from what I can tell the girl didn't even go to prom. She decided to spend the time with her family instead."

"I can check the IP address from the posts from a few months ago versus the posts from a few weeks ago. Even pick out a few addresses for you. There's bound to be a few different ones from the difference between her cell and her laptop, not to mention if she also had a desktop or used a school computer, but there should be some kind of consistency. If the IP address has changed I'll pull up the corresponding locations. Obviously if the past few months haven't been from Virginia we can assume that it wasn't her."

"Your abilities never cease to amaze me." Derek planted a kiss on the top of her head and squeezed her shoulder, causing Garcia to grin.

"If you think my technical abilities are amazing, you should see what else I can do." Garcia flirted back.

"Another time maybe. Right now I'm starving. What do you say Reid and I go pick up some Chinese from your favorite place while you crack down with your investigating?"

"That sounds fantastic Hot Stuff. See you in a bit."

Penelope began typing furiously while Derek and Reid stepped out of her office. They stopped by everyone's office to see if anyone else wanted any dinner, but most everyone had already gone home for the evening, and Emily and Hotch were on their way out. No one else had really had any luck with the case, and it was already 6:30; the team tried to be out by 7 when they could.

"Guess it's just us then Reid. Let's go."

They walked out to the parking garage and headed toward Reid's car. Once inside Reid turned to Derek.

"How is it so easy for you?" Reid asked, leaving Derek to arch a brow in his direction.

"How is what so easy for me?"

"Girls! You flirt with Penelope all the time and she's just a friend. They always surround you at the bars. You have no trouble getting dates. I don't understand."

"Oh Reid," Derek laughed at him for a few seconds and then shook his head, "It's not easy for me, especially with this job. It might seem easy, but it's not. I might be able to get a date just fine sure, but it's hard to have a girlfriend when you're away all the time." Derek left out the fact that he was constantly plagued by nightmares about Buford, often waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweats. And after his last love-life disaster, he had sworn off women for awhile; he wanted to be able to be there for his partner like they deserved, not make them feel like they only got second hand scraps.

"The key to being flirtatious is just being smooth. They like a man with confidence." Derek patted his friend's arm. "You'll get it buddy. Maybe after this case I'll take you out and teach you a few things."

"Really?" A grin lit up Reid's face.

"Really. Now let's go get some food. I'm starving."

"Penelope, wake up." Derek shook her shoulder gently. "Come on sweetness it's time for you to go home."

"What time is it?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses.

"It's 11:30. We must've fallen asleep. Go home. Go to bed. This will all be here in the morning. We did good tonight."

"Okay. Goodnight Derek." Penelope wrapped him in a hug and he kissed the side of her head. He watched her walk away fondly before turning back to the mess in her office.

Reid had gone home around 9, leaving he and Penelope to continue searching. While Derek continued to search through Jolene's facebook page, Garcia tracked her movements through IP addresses and locations. Derek picked up the empty take out boxes and through them in the trash, his brain still processing the information that they collected. He grabbed the bag of trash and threw it out on his way to his truck.

When he got in he leaned forward and put his head on the steering wheel. He wanted to go anywhere but home. His two-bedroom house just seemed cold and empty since Michelle left. It was now just a reminder of how alone he was. He wasn't ready to face that yet. He wasn't ready for the nightmare he knew was going to be waiting for him in bed. He just didn't want to be alone. Suddenly he knew where he was going to go.

"I'm sorry sir but visiting hours have been over for a long time now." The nurse at the front desk said. Derek could hear the exhaustion in her voice.

"I'm Derek Morgan, FBI agent." He placed his badge on the table. "We brought in a victim earlier, her name is Jolene Abigail. I'd like to know if I could see her."

"Ms. Abigail is in a coma Mr. Morgan. She's not going to be doing much talking."

"I know, I know. It's just… she's alone. And I just want to sit with her a bit."

The nurse looked him up and down. Derek could see the weariness on her face, but her eyes were bright and sharp. He was fairly certain that she was looking into his soul.

"She's in room 327." The nurse finally said, returning her gaze to the paperwork in front of her.

"Thank you." He put his badge in his pocket and walked down the hall.

Her room was filled with the sounds of monitors. They had washed her, and he could now see how painfully thin she was. Her cheekbones were sharp on her face and she had many different stages of bruises. His heart ached with pity for her. Anger burned in pit of his stomach for the man that did this to her. It burned even stronger as Derek realized that he had probably done the same thing to every other one of his victims, they just hadn't been able to tell.

He pulled up a chair next to her bed and studied her. One eye was swollen shut. Her right arm was in a cast. Her left leg was in an immobilizer. She had more bandages than exposed skin. But still, he could see that she was beautiful.

Her hair was deep red. Her skin was fair and soft, despite what she had been through. Her body was curvy, though malnourished. Her features were very fine, and Derek wondered to himself what her blue eyes looked like in person. He reached over and held her hand in his. It was significantly warmer than the first time he had held her, when he though that she was dead.

The door to her room opened and a doctor walked in.

"The nurse told me that you were in here. Would you like an update on her condition?"

"Has there been one?"

"Well, her vitals have stablized but they're not strong. Honestly, I don't give her much of a chance. Usually when they don't have anyone to live for, they don't."

The doctor's words cut through Derek like a knife. He knew her situation, but hearing it out loud from someone else was different. It made it real. The doctor turned and left Derek alone with the girl and his thoughts once more.

"I'm sorry." The sound of his voice almost startled him, but once he started talking he just couldn't stop. He had been holding in his pain and hiding it for so long, now it demanded to be released. He knew a fraction of the pain this girl lived through, he could only imagine how she felt. Now she was laying here dying and it seemed like no one even cared.

"I'm sorry that this world is a cruel place. I'm sorry that your family was murdered. I'm sorry that your boyfriend abused you and pushed away all your friends. I'm sorry that you don't have anyone. I'm sorry that this bastard took you, and beat you, and raped you. I'm sorry that we couldn't find you sooner. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there like you needed me to be."

Derek laid his head on the edge of her bed and let the tears that had been burning their way up his throat and slowly seeping out his eyes fall freely. The last sentence had been directed more towards his ex girlfriend than the girl lying before him. He had loved her, but he couldn't be there for her like she had wanted. She left him, and he didn't blame her. He was still sorry, but he hoped that she found someone that made her happy. He had come to terms that while he had this job, he was signing up for a life of loneliness. For him though, it was better than a lifetime of letting down someone who loved him.

When he picked his head back up and checked the time it was already 6 am. He had fallen asleep and slept almost the entire night away. Despite the ache in his muscles from sleeping hunched over in a chair, it had been one of the best nights of sleep he had gotten in a while; he hadn't had a nightmare. He rubbed his face and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Jolene, I promise you we are going to find the man that did this to you. I personally will see that he never sees the light of day again once we do. And I have to leave now, but I will be back to see you every single day. You have someone now; so don't give up on me. I know you're a fighter. I know that you're tired and you want to give up, but you can't. If you do and we loose this chance we have, he will kill again." Derek picked up her hand and squeezed it. "I know you can make it. I'll see you after work."

Derek left and headed to his house to shower and get ready for work. He didn't plan on telling anyone about the past night, not even Garcia. He needed to focus on the case so he could get Jolene some of the revenge she rightfully deserved.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we go round three guys! I'm so thankful for all of you dedicated readers 3 I'm going to try and upload a new chapter every Thursday, so stay tuned!**

"Morgan, conference room now. We're doing an update meeting with our findings from yesterday." Hotchner breezed by Derek as he was in the middle of making a new pot of coffee.

"Alright I'm on my way."

Derek turned on the coffee pot and stretched, wincing once more at his sore muscles. It had been a really bad idea for him to sleep the way he had last night after nearly being blown up that morning and he was paying for it today. The hot shower he took earlier had offered some relief, but he would definitely be moving rather stiffly today. He turned around to make his way to the conference room and nearly ran smack dab into Penelope.

"Hey Hot Stuff. Got you a coffee. How was your night?"

"You are a life saver." He took the coffee Garcia handed him and sipped it. He knew that she was non-directly asking if he wanted to talk about his nightmares. She was the only person that knew he had them. "Actually, it was nice and uneventful."

"Really? Maybe you should nearly be blown up more often." She laughed and took his arm as they headed to the conference room together.

"Alright guys. Let's go over everything we uncovered yesterday, starting with what Garcia, Reid and Morgan discovered about the victim." Hotch sat down as Garcia grabbed the projector remote off the table.

"Well, for starters the last eight months or so of facebook updates and messages seem to have been from two different people, but the last six months definitely have not been her. I'm guessing the last thing that she posted was about her move. After that, the IP addresses and the locations both stay the same. This means that she most likely left her computer and phone in Nashville and tried to break away for a clean start."

"How do you know she just wasn't lying about the move and trying to hide from someone and make them think that she moved?" JJ asked.

"Well, for starters I discovered that the house you found her in was being rented to her. She used a fake name and fake ID to lease it so she couldn't be followed, but it's going to take more than that to throw me off the trail."

Garcia pulled up a complete and very well done set of IDs including a passport, drivers' license and social security card for a Rebecca Ingall. The face on the drivers' license matched Jolene perfectly.

"Also it does appear as though she really was completely alone, which is why the unsub targeted her. We found a facebook account for Rebecca Ingall as well, but it had no profile picture and for being six months old had very little content. She never posted, and only followed a single band. This suggests that she was struggling with the fact that everyone she had loved and supported for so long was willing to believe that whoever took over her other page was really her. Which is understandable: we've never even met the victim and within ten minutes we could tell that it wasn't her. How could people who had known her for 20 years believe that she would change that completely? Her posts and messages lost all compassion and intelligence in my opinion." Reid added.

"We believe that the person who took over her facebook page and who now has her phone and computer is her ex boyfriend Carl Jenkins." Emily added, glancing down at her notes and nodding to Garcia to switch the slide.

The screen pulled up a picture of an average man with dark brown hair and cold brown eyes. He had sharp, harsh features and Morgan instantly disliked him.

"He's been in Nashville the entire time that we assume she's been in Virginia, working the same job he's had since highschool and living in her old apartment. Other than a few nights in the drunk tank and one call for a domestic dispute six months ago he has no criminal record, and unfortunately he also has an alibi; he's been at work in Nashville when we've had encounters and phone calls with the unsub. Plus there is no way he could make the 10 hour drive often enough to do this kind of damage to someone, and he's not connected to any of the other victims."

"Well to be fair we haven't connected any of the victims yet." Derek interjected. "So far all we know is…" Derek trailed off for a second, the wheels in his mind suddenly turning rapidly. He couldn't believe it had been right there in front of them all this time.

"What is it Morgan?" Hotch asked. Derek felt Penelope put her hand on his arm.

"The answer has been here the whole time! The victims, they're all females with seemingly no one who is going to miss them that move to Virginia for a fresh start right?" Derek was starting to speak faster now as the pieces were falling into place. "Well, where do woman go for comfort when they have nothing? A woman's shelter! That's the connection between the victims. I'll bet if we dig deeper each one of them has stayed at a woman's shelter at some point after moving to Virginia. The unsub probably either owns one, volunteers for them, or delivers items for them. He's got to be connected to them in some way. That's why the attacks have been seemingly random. That's why it seems like he doesn't target a specific type of girl. He does, it's just not focused on appearance. He focuses on the girls that no one is going to miss immediately. That way he can drag out his torture like he has been. If there's no one missing them, there's not going to be anyone looking for them to report them missing."

Everyone looked at Derek with sudden enlightenment on their faces. It made perfect sense. The attacks were sometimes weeks apart. Going by this timeline, Jolene was probably abducted just after she found the house to rent. She hadn't even gotten time to get a job yet. She had been completely vulnerable.

"Garcia, look into this. I want you to take our victims pictures and email them to every woman's shelter in Virginia asking if they've seen these women. Emily and JJ, go out and do interviews starting at the ones closest to Quantico. We're more liable to get more information if it's women interviewing women. Reid, I want you to go through all the paperwork we have on all the victims and find out everything you can about them. Look and see if they've all rented houses from the same person, or if they all stayed at the same shelter. Work together with Garcia again and keep me posted if you find anything in common, even if it's something as simple as they shopped at the same Walmart. Morgan, you reassemble the bomb from the blast yesterday. All the pieces should have been delivered for you this morning. Rossi and I will go back to the crime scene from yesterday and see if we can't find anything with fresh eyes."

At Hotch's instruction everyone got up to go to work with renewed vigor. After staring at this case for days with little to no improvement aside from finding Jolene yesterday and everything that the unsub had given to them, this breakthrough brought new life to the team.

"Oh and Morgan," Hotch called out causing him to pause and look back at his leader, "good job."

xxxx

"I thought I might find you here Hot Stuff." Penelope walked into the hospital room and walked over to where Derek was sitting and put her arm on his back. "How is she?"

"How did you know I would be here?" Derek asked, not taking his eyes off Jolene.

"A few days ago Hotch asked me to check in on her. The nurse told me you've been coming to see her every day for the last month. After what happened at the office today, I figured that you'd come here."

Derek shut his eyes and put his head down. After making the connection about the shelters they found that every single victim had indeed been staying at a shelter when they first arrived in Virginia. From there a man who no one seemed to be able to remember had showed up and offered them a chance to start fresh. Even though they didn't have jobs he would offer them a house to rent with the first six months paid off. He would help them move in, and then he would start the torture. After that, the trail ran cold. He never showed up to another shelter to make the offer. So far no more fires had been started and no more bodies were found.

Then today they received contact from him once more. A bouquet of flowers had been delivered to Derek's desk while he was out at lunch with Penelope. The message on the card had chilled him to the bone: _when she is better I will find her and start again. She will be my 7_ _th_ _._ The flowers were taken and immediately processed for prints or any other clues but Derek knew they wouldn't find anything. When they checked up with the company that delivered the flowers it would be another fake name used and it will have been paid with cash. This guy was good, and he knew how to cover his tracks.

As soon as he could, Derek slipped away and came down to the hospital. He had kept up his promise. He visited her every night after work, some mornings before work, and he had even started spending most of his days off with her. The doctors told him to keep it up. She was doing much better. Her vitals had improved enough that she had been taken off the ventilator and allowed to breathe on her own. Her bruises had healed, the constant nutrition had helped her fill back out again and her left leg was completely healed. Now she only had a few places with stitches and a cast on her arm yet.

When Derek was with her all he did was talk. He had told her things that he had never told anyone else, not even Garcia. He told her about his childhood, his deepest fears, the nightmares that kept him awake at night and how lonely he felt every time he went home. He told her about all his relationship mistakes and everything he dreamed of finding one day. He wasn't really sure why, but talking to her felt natural, even if she was still in a coma.

"She's doing better. They stopped the medications that were keeping her in a coma about a week ago. It's all up to her now when she wakes up."

"Derek, I think you mean if she wakes up." Penelope said gently while rubbing his back. "She's been through so much. If I were in her shoes I know that I-"

"Don't even talk like that Garcia!" Derek roared, more harshly than he meant to. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was just another victim. He couldn't let this get personal. "She's a fighter. She's going to wake up. I know it. We need her to. We can't let this happen to anyone else."

"I know babe. Are you sure that you're okay? You seem off."

"I'm fine." He knew Garcia would see through his lie, but he couldn't tell his friend he was desperately clinging on to Jolene because he was _lonely_. She looked him up and down for a minute, and he held her gaze hoping she would just let it drop.

"Well then I know you must be hungry. Let's go down to the cafeteria to get something to eat."

"Hey sweetness," Derek said as he stood up and stretched, "why were you looking for me anyway?"

"It's the first Friday of the month. It's movie night. When I went to your house you weren't there so I figured I'd check here."

"Have you told anyone else that I've been checking in on her?"

"Of course not. That's not my place. If you want to spend all your free time at the hospital with a victim in a coma who am I to judge? I just thought maybe you'd like some more lively company tonight." Penelope playfully pushed his chest.

"I love you Baby Girl." Derek wrapped her in a hug before they headed down to the cafeteria to get a bite to eat.

When they got back to the room to watch a movie like they did every first Friday of the month Hotchner was inside talking to the doctor. Derek's heart hit his feet as he wondered if he would get in trouble for visiting Jolene every single day without having it approved first. He really hoped that Hotch would see that if he hadn't she probably wouldn't have made it, and not be concerned that the case was getting too personal for him. The doctor walked out as Derek and Penelope walked in.

"Dr. Kline was telling me that you've been here every day for the last month." Hotch's voice was even and steely and he didn't look up from Jolene's face.

"That's right." Derek replied.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think you needed to know every detail of my personal life." Hotch looked up at Derek, who was shocked at the tone of his own voice.

"When it involves the only living victim of the current case we're working on it does! I know you saved her, I know you feel sorry for her; we all do. But I'm beginning to wonder if maybe something else isn't going on and you're using her to take your mind off your own troubles." Hotch was clearly angry as he spit his reply back at Derek. "And you Garcia. You knew and you didn't tell me?"

"You leave her out of this Hotch. This is between you and me." Derek moved so he was standing between the two. "And I'm sorry, I thought that maybe letting her know that someone was here for her might give her a better chance. I thought that maybe it might be a good thing to have her still be alive at the end of this so she can help us finish this case and catch this guy before he does this to somebody else!" Derek's voice was louder than it needed to be, but he couldn't help it.

"So that's it then? You're not doing this for any reason other than to profit the case?" Hotch raised an eyebrow at Derek.

"Correct. I'm not personally invested at all." Derek lied; he really did like this girl and hoped to be her friend after the case was over. Lord knows she needed one.

"Guys? I hate to interrupt your little screaming match…" Penelope said, tapping Derek on the shoulder.

"What is it Garcia?" Hotch asked, his voice still rough with anger.

"She's awake." Penelope pointed.

Derek looked around Hotch and straight into the deep blue eyes he'd been praying to see in person for the last month.


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright guys, our second main character is finally awake! From here on we will be swapping POVs, so odd chapters will be from Derek's POV and even chapters will be from Jolene's. There might be some overlapping of some of the big events due to this. I hope you guys enjoy this weeks installment! Look for a Reid short and the start of a Rossi story coming soon!**

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that has favorited/followed this story! Please leave a review and let me know what you think. :)**

It was dark. It was safe. Jolene wasn't sure where she was but she felt safe for the first time since finding out her family had been killed. She was so tired. She felt like she could just stay there wrapped in the darkness forever.

 _Jolene, honey you can't stay here. It's not time yet._

Jolene looked around and saw her father's face in the darkness.

 _Daddy!_ She ran to him and he wrapped her in the biggest hug. Jolene wanted to loose herself right then and there and never look back. _Daddy I've missed you so much._

 _I know baby, I'm sorry. We've all missed you to. I'm sorry that all of this has happened to you, my strong, brave, beautiful little fighter. You cannot give up yet you hear me?_

 _But Daddy, I don't want to go back. I want to stay here with you. There's nothing for me back there._

 _I can't explain little one, but trust me. You won't be alone anymore. We're always with you. You have to go back, you're not done yet. We will be together again, just not here or now._ He kissed the top of her head and held her close again. _I have to go now love. Your mother sends her love as well. And Trevor told me to tell you that you have to live your life to the fullest for him._

Just like that her father was gone and she was alone in the darkness once more. The feeling of safety slowly fell away. Suddenly she heard something; a soothing voice from somewhere in this place. Jolene wasn't sure who was speaking, where she was or where the voice was coming from, but she listened. She couldn't make out what they were saying, and it was over soon.

When she was alone once more she began to think about everything that had happened to her in the last five years. Her family had been murdered while she was away at college. Her boyfriend had ended up being a terrible person who beat her, and tried unsuccessfully to break her spirit. He had however, succeeded in convincing all her friends that she had suddenly become some raging bitch and they refused to talk to her.

So she had run. She ran to Virginia, where no one would know who she was or what she had been through. It would be a fresh start. She left everything behind in Nashville so it would be a clean break. She ended up at a women's shelter just outside Quantico before she decided that it would be the perfect place to start again.

She stayed there for two weeks before a man approached her with a deal. The shelter was crowded and needing some space, and he had a house that he was willing to rent out to her, including six months of free rent. It sounded too good to be true, so she spoke with the head coordinator of the shelter. It turned out that he was a wealthy man who had extended this offer to six other women in similar situations in six other shelters. They had all accepted his offer and to everyone's knowledge were alive and well in their new homes with new lives. So she had agreed and signed a lease. He had even helped her move in and get settled.

That's when things got bad. Jolene had assumed that he would leave after dropping her and her stuff off, but he didn't. He came inside to show her around the house. That was fine, he would leave afterwards. Again, he didn't leave. He offered to stay for dinner. She had been on edge at that point, but he had just given her a fresh start on life. The least she could do was humor him with dinner.

After dinner, he still didn't leave. When she asked him about it, he answered her with a punch so hard it made her black out. When she woke up she couldn't see anything; he had blindfolded her and tied her to the bed naked. She screamed and he instantly covered her mouth. Jolene had blocked out the things that he said to her, but her mind could never erase his rough touch on her skin.

She tried to block out all the times he had raped her, but she couldn't. Even alone in this darkness she couldn't escape the feeling of him forcing himself upon her. She couldn't out run the burn from when he tore her open, or the white-hot pain of him breaking her arm when she didn't comply. The longer he abused her, the harder it got. He told her that she was his favorite because she was a fighter.

She had never been able to see anything except for his eyes. They were stone cold, dark as coal, and they haunted her every time she closed her own. Even in this never ending darkness she could see them everywhere. They made her skin crawl and every hair stand on end. The only time she ever felt safe again was when the voice came back.

After the first few times she began to chase it. She could tell she was getting closer because the voice was getting louder and clearer. Sometimes she could make out bits and pieces of what it was saying, other times it wouldn't talk much but she could tell it was there because it made her feel safe and warm. One day another voice showed up. This one was different. It was another cold voice, and it was yelling at her voice.

Jolene ran as fast and hard as she could. She knew she was almost there because the world was getting brighter. Suddenly she broke through the darkness and was nearly blinded by the harsh hospital lighting. She blinked a few times as the voice she had been chasing said "I'm not personally invested in this at all."

She didn't even know this person and yet his words stung. She made eye contact with a pretty blonde in the corner who she assumed to be his girlfriend. She was standing behind the owner of Jolene's voice with her hand on his arm. Her eyes got wide and she interrupted the two arguing men.

"Guys…" Her voice was soft yet strong and both men turned their attention toward her.

"What Garcia?" The man closest to Jolene spoke with a rough edge to his voice that made her body instantly tense.

"She's awake." Garcia pointed at Jolene and the owner of the voice that Jolene had heard while she was in the darkness peeked around the man that was standing closest to Jolene.

When his deep brown eyes met Jolene's she instantly felt safe. It didn't matter what she had gone through before, she knew that no matter what he would never harm her. She could see that they were filled with compassion and yet tinged with hurt. She felt like she knew him from somewhere but she wasn't sure where. She felt as though she had known him for a lifetime, but she was almost certain she had never met him before in her life.

"Jolene! Are yo-" he seemed excited to see that she was awake, but the other man in the room cut him off and turned to face her.

"Ms. Abigail, my name is Aaron Hotchner and I'm an agent with the FBI. Do you know where you are? Do you remember what happened to you?"

Jolene turned to look at the man who spoke. Agent Hotchner's voice was softer than before, but it was still cold and unsettling to her. She tried to back away but her body was weak. Her hands began to shake as she looked into his eyes and immediately saw a different set of coal black eyes looking back at her. Fear flashed across her face as she clutched desperately at the blankets around her with shaking hands.

"Hotch, she just woke up. Let's go get the nurse's before you start interrogating her. You're clearly terrifying her, you big bully." Garcia walked around the other person in the room and grabbed Hotchner by the arm and pulled him out of the room, leaving her alone with him.

"Hey honey. My name is Derek Morgan. I'm also an FBI agent." His voice was just as smooth and comforting as it had been before. Jolene wondered to herself if he had come to visit her while she was here. "Do you want me to leave? I can understand if you do." Jolene shook her head no. "Is there anything I can get you?"

Jolene opened her mouth to speak, but no coherent words came out. Her throat was extremely dry from disuse. Jolene had no idea what the date was or how long she had been out for. She wasn't even really sure what all had happened to her. Her head was fuzzy and she couldn't seem to focus her thoughts. Agent Morgan ran a hand across his face and looked at her with worry filled eyes.

"What happened?" Her voice was rough from disuse, but at least this time she managed to say something.

"Well..." Agent Morgan began, but before he could finish doctors pushed him out of the room.

Doctors poked and prodded Jolene, checking everything and marking down things on her chart. She was sore, and despite being asleep for who knows how long, she was exhausted. She fell asleep before the doctors even left the room.

When she woke up her room was empty. The lights in her room were off, but sunlight was streaming through her window. She could read the date across the room on a white board, and she was shocked to learn that it was almost July. The last date that she remembered was just past New Years. She remembered thinking _this is it; new year, new house, new life._ She chuckled to herself bitterly now. Things were worse off than they were in Nashville. A tear fell down her cheek and she reached up with her right arm to wipe it away. She noticed the cast on her arm and shook her head. She couldn't hold the tears back any more, and she let the sobs flow freely. She wrapped her arms around herself trying to find comfort in her sea of questions and loneliness.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey guys! I am having a blast writing this, but I would love to hear from you! As promised, here is this weeks installment. Now that Jolene is awake the chapters will alternate POV, so odd chapters will be Derek's POV and even chapters will be Jolene's POV unless otherwise marked. They might overlap time wise as well, but not too much I promise. :)**

"What's on your mind Hot Stuff?" Penelope's voice brought Derek back to the real world. They were at her apartment with a bucket of popcorn between them and a movie on TV.

"Nothing why?" Derek tried to play off the fact that all he could think about was Jolene. What was going to happen to her now that she was awake? There was a serial killer out looking for her and she couldn't stay in the hospital forever.

"Derek. I've known you for how long now? You can't hide things from me." Penelope put her hand on his arm comfortingly. "What is it?"

"What's going to happen to her now? Is she going into witness protection? She can't go back to a shelter, that's what put her here in the first place."

"It's a sad day in the world when a girl can't go to the one place that's created for her protection when she has no one in the world and no where else to go to. I guess she can stay with me if she wants."

"Baby Girl you live in a one bedroom apartment. I worry about you enough on a day to day basis, I don't need you attracting serial killers to yourself." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Well then what are you suggesting? Clearly you already have something in mind."

"Well, Michelle moved out a few months ago so my house is basically empty. I was thinking about getting a roommate anyway. It's too lonely at home."

"How come you didn't say anything hotness? Maybe I'd be looking to move." Penelope gave him a playful shove.

"Sweetness please, if we spend anymore time together we're going to forget how to actually flirt with other people." Derek felt an involuntary smile spread across his face at the sound of Penelope's laugh.

"Well then I guess we would just have to get married then."

Derek rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the movie that already almost half over. Suddenly the screen went black and Derek turned to look quizzically at Penelope.

"Let's be honest you weren't pay any attention, and you look exhausted. Go home baby boy. Get some sleep."

Derek stood up and stretched. He gave Penelope a hug and headed to the door.

"Well, at least one think is for sure," Penelope said as she showed Derek out, "if Hotch approves this then at least you'll save gas traveling to and from the hospital."

"While true, it won't make my 'not personally invested' argument any stronger." Derek laughed as he headed back home, excited for what the next day would bring for the first time in a long time.

"Hey Hotch, do you have a second?" Derek went straight to his boss' door as soon as he got in the next morning with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Sure thing Morgan, what's on your mind?" Hotch asked without looking up from his paperwork.

"It's about last night." Derek sat the cup of coffee down on Hotch's desk causing him to first look at the coffee and then up at Derek. "I'm sorry. I haven't been myself since Michelle left and I guess you were right and I was focusing on this girl to try and out run my own issues. But I was also trying to let her know someone would be here for her when she woke up. You know just as well as I do that this job doesn't end when we walk out those doors at the end of the day. At the end of this case she's still going to need a friend and I'd like to be there for her."

"I know Derek. There are still plenty of past victims that I still check in on. Why didn't you just tell me last night?"

"You caught me off guard. I didn't want you to think that I couldn't handle it. I can."

"I trust that you can as well, so why bring it up this morning?"

"Well, I was thinking… she's awake now, and has a serial killer threatening her. While she's in the hospital its not too much of an issue, we can have it set so that we are the only visitors she is allowed. But she can't stay in the hospital forever; once they clear her they're going to release her. She obviously can't go back to a shelter and she has no where else to go so…"

"So you thought we could put her with you since you now have an empty room?"

"Well… yes. What better police protection is there than living in a gated community with a FBI defense instructor?"

"You make many valid points, but we have to let her decide. I'm also going to give her the option to stay with Prentiss. It's nothing against you; we just have to take into account what she went through. She might not want to stay with a man. She might be more comfortable staying with another woman. Even though you've gone to see her and you feel like you know her, she was in a coma and you are both complete strangers to her."

"I understand." Derek tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice. Hotchner was right; he just didn't want to admit it. The thought of Jolene not wanting to stay with him never even crossed his mind, and he felt almost selfish because of it.

"Good. Round room in fifteen for a update meeting on this case." Derek turned and walked toward the door. "Oh and Morgan?"

"Yeah Hotch?" He stopped with his hand on the door handle and turned to look at Hotchner.

"Thanks for the coffee."

There was little talk at the round table this morning as Hotchner stood up at the front to update everyone on Jolene's condition. This case was wearing on the team because they just couldn't figure out this unsub the way that they were usually able to.

"Alright guys I've got some good news this morning, our victim Jolene Abigail is awake. We haven't been able to talk to her yet, but I want to send JJ and Morgan over there to try and talk with her. Ask her easy questions, and try not to push too much. We don't want her to close up on us and we don't know the full extent of her physiological damage yet. Prentiss, I want you and Reid to go check out two new fires that happened over the past week in North Carolina. They look like they might be our guy, but there were no bodies found at the scenes. Find out if they're related to this case or not."

"Why would he keep starting fires yet stop killing?" Prentiss asked with her brow furrowed.

"It could be that he has it set in his mind that Jolene will be his next kill, so he won't kill until he can get his hands on her. But while that is true, he still needs the release of setting fires to keep him going." Derek offered.

"It's more probable that they're either not related at all or the start of a copycat." Reid countered.

"Either way, that's where I want you two. Good luck today everyone."

"All things considering, she's in pretty good shape." Jolene's doctor updated JJ and Derek as they were on the way to see her. "She's going to have some PTSD which might present itself in the form of nightmares and flashbacks, avoidance, hypervigilance, or anything along those lines. She's on a constant mild sedative, and an anti-anxiety medication. She's very, very shaken and I'm not sure you're going to get anything out of her. We're going to keep her here for another day or two to make sure she adjusts well to the medication, but then she'll be free to go."

"Thank you doctor. We'll make sure we take it easy on her." JJ put her hand on Derek's arm to stop him before they walked down the hallway where Jolene's room was. "Derek wait. Maybe we shouldn't go in together. With as scared as they say she is, it might make her shut down."

"So what were you thinking?"

"Let me go first. Stand in the hallway but stay out of sight. Then if she won't talk to me, maybe she'll talk to you. I just don't want her to feel like we're ganging up on her."

"Okay."

Derek was reluctant to let JJ go first, but he knew that she was right. All he wanted was to see her again, to make sure that she was okay. He had spent every night of the last month with her, and even though she had no idea who she was he felt as though he was as close to her as he was to Penelope. He watched JJ walk into her room and then began to pace the end of the hallway. He clenched and unclenched his fists at his side as he kept an eye on the clock. After 20 minutes, JJ walked out and walked over to Derek shaking her head.

"She told me general information like her name, birthdate and social security number, but as soon as I asked anything about the incident she closed up. Do you want to try?"

"Yeah, I'll go in. Go on and head down the cafeteria and get some breakfast. I'll call you when I'm finished."

Derek walked into the hospital room that he had grown so familiar with. However, rather than Jolene lying motionless on the bed she was sitting in the furthest corner from the door with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She had her face resting on the tops of her knees like she was trying her best to hide from the world. After what she had been through, he wouldn't have been surprised if that's exactly what she was trying to do. His heart ached to comfort her like she had unknowingly been doing for him.

"Hey honey, it's me again. Agent-"

"Agent Morgan. I remember you." She looked up as she cut him off, and he thought he saw her eyes light up at the sight of him.

 _It's just me, imagining things. I need to get a grip,_ Derek thought to himself with a small shake of his head.

"Is it okay if I come talk to you? Maybe ask you a few questions?" Derek made no attempts to move closer to her. He was going to take things at her pace, and let her invite him to come to her.

"I don't see how many answer matters. You'll ask them anyway eventually. Might as well get it over with now." She nodded at him to sit at the foot of the bed.

"My partner tells me that you didn't want to answer anything."

Derek made sure to keep his voice gentle, and he was resisting every urge to reach out to the poor broken woman in front of him. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay, that he wouldn't let anything happen to her ever again. _I would do the same thing for JJ or Garcia,_ he validated to himself. It was all part of being a good friend. Nothing more.

"That's not a question."

"You're right it's not."

Derek took a moment and just studied her face. Her eyes were haunted, but bright. Her hair was thicker than when he first saw her, and her skin wasn't so pale. She wasn't covered in bruises or bandages any longer, but she did a have few fresh pink scars running across her face and arms. Her eyes were a deeper blue than he imagined they would be based on her uploaded pictures, and they were no longer innocent. Derek closed his eyes and shook his head as another pair of eyes popped into his mind.

"Did you come and visit me while I was… in a coma?" Jolene's question caught him off guard, and she spit out the last part of it like it left a bad taste in her mouth.

"How did you know? Did the nurses tell you?"

"No. Your voice… it's… familiar. I couldn't understand what you were saying, but I could tell that you were there."

"I was here every day. I wanted you to know that you weren't alone. That you had a friend here."

"Thank you." Jolene let her legs slide straight next to him on the bed but kept her arms around her shoulders, comforting herself. "I really appreciate it."

"Did they tell you what happened?" Derek resisted the urge to put his hand on her leg; he didn't want to scare her.

"They didn't have too. I remembered most of what happened when I woke up." She shook her head as if to clear it and a small smile spread across her face as she let out a soft, sad laugh. "I punched you."

"Yeah, you did." Derek couldn't help but laugh as well. "I thought you were dead."

"I thought I was dead."

"I'm glad that you're not." Derek very calmly reached out and touched her leg. She tensed, but she didn't pull away. "Can you tell me about what happened?" Jolene looked at him with fear in her eyes. She bit her lip as if it was going to keep her tears from falling. "It's okay sweetheart, I'm right here."

"I don't remember much, but then again I try not to think about it."

"If you can help us we can get this man and put him away so he can't do this to anyone else ever again." Jolene took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"He kept me tied to a bed. I was naked most of the time. He gave me a glass of water every day, and some food every other day." Derek noticed that she had begun to tremble beneath his hand. "Every time he came in the room he would hit me at least once."

Tears began to fall from her face and she squeezed her eyes closed even more, as if trying to shut something out. Suddenly she started to whimper. Derek had been where she was enough to know she was having a flashback.

"No! Don't please." Jolene sobbed, her eyes shooting open. "Don't hurt me!" Derek noticed that her eyes were glazed over and he knew that she was seeing things that weren't really there. She curled into a ball once more, her face frozen in fear.

"Jolene, Jolene listen to me." Derek gently grabbed her by the shoulders. "Jolene you're in the hospital. It's over Jolene. You're safe now." Jolene's head snapped in Derek's direction, and he watched her eyes begin to clear. "You're safe now." He repeated gently. She let out a sob and fell into his arms, seeking comfort and protection.

"His eyes," she mumbled into his chest, "all I can remember, all I ever saw were his eyes."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hello my faithful readers! It's Wednesday, and you know what that means... more of Derek and Jolene! This chapter is very harsh and visual, and also fairly short. I'm super nervous about it, so I hope it comes across as well as I intend it too. Please, please, please review and PM me... they keep me going! Enjoy 3**

Jolene wanted to help Agent Morgan but she wasn't sure how she could. She had been trying so hard not to think about what happened, to just move on, that she wasn't sure she could go back and relive it. Her desire to save someone else from her fate was stronger than her reluctance to remember, and she felt safer with him than she did the other agent. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, picturing her hell on earth.

"He kept me tied to a bed…" she began to give him what small details she could remember, but she could also feel her grip on reality slipping away.

 _The grey-blue walls felt like they were closing in on her. The dusty white trim got closer each day, and her arm burned like fire whenever it was moved. He walked into the room silently, like always. His coal black eyes burned into her, showing no emotion. He grabbed her arm at the break and she screamed in agony, but he showed no reaction. He raised his other arm with his hand balled in a fist and Jolene closed her eyes as she prepared herself for another beating._

 _Suddenly his hands were placed gently on her shoulders. She heard something faintly but couldn't make out what it was saying. She opened her eyes and the vision slowly faded away, replaced by the fluorescent hospital lighting and stark white walls._

"You're safe now." Jolene looked at Agent Morgan as her brain tried to figure out what was real and what was not. His voice was calm and soothing as he brought her out of her memory. "You're safe now."

Jolene allowed herself to collapse into his embrace and cry into his chest. She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt so tightly that her knuckles turned white as she tried to hang on to what was real. He wrapped his arms around her carefully and she buried her face into his chest.

"His eyes, all I can remember, all I ever saw were his eyes. They were coal black." Agent Morgan sighed and rested his head on top of hers and gently rocked her to calm her down.

"Okay honey, you did good."

Jolene slowly stopped crying, focusing her attention on what was physically around her. She focused on the sound of Agent Morgan's heartbeat, the feel of the warmth of his skin beneath his shirt. She breathed when he did, steadily in and out. She gathered the fragments of her shaken nerves and released her hold on his shirt. She let him hold her for a moment longer, soaking in the safe feeling she got from being close to him. She took a deep breath and sat up, rubbing her hands over her face and the last few tears from her eyes.

"What's going to happen to me?" She asked, looking away from him toward the window in her room.

"We're going to offer you a choice. We're going to provide you with a place to stay, with one of our officers, and keep you safe."

"What's my choice?"

"You could either stay with one of our female agents, Agent Prentiss. You haven't met her yet, but I can promise you she is one of the best agents we have."

"Or?" Jolene really had no interest in staying with a stranger, even if she was another FBI agent.

"Or you could stay with me. I've got an empty room, I live in a gated community, and you've met me before."

"You would want me to stay with you?" She couldn't believe that he would want to live with an anxiety ridden, broken girl like her.

"Of course." He smiled at her in an effort to calm her fears. "You're a nice girl. The real problem is going to be for you to put up with me." Jolene turned to look at him, and she felt a smile involuntarily spread across her face.

"Challenge accepted." Agent Morgan returned her smile and glanced at the clock.

"The doctors want to keep you here another day or two, until they see how your medication is going to affect you and get the results of the rest of your testing back. Then we'll get you moved in and settled down at home so you can focus on recovering. Right now though, I have to get back to the office. I've got monsters to catch."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you around." Jolene was sad to see him go.

"Don't worry, I'll be back around seven for dinner."

He waved as he walked out the door and Jolene couldn't stop from smiling. Even after everything that had happened to her, it was nice to know that she had a friend. It had been so long since someone had truly cared about her that she didn't realize how alone she had become. Jolene brought her knees to her chest once more and turned on the TV to the news station. If she wanted to get ready to go back into society, she thought it would be best to begin getting acquainted with what had happened in the last six months.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hello all my beautiful readers! It's Wednesday once more, so you know what that means! Now we're really starting to get into the story, and I'm super excited for you guys to read and review. I love hearing from all of you, so don't be afraid to drop me a PM either. Enjoy!**

Derek walked out of Jolene's room and down the hall. He was about to pull out his cell phone to call JJ when he saw her sitting in a chair waiting on him. She glanced up from the magazine she was reading and stood up.

"You were in there for an hour and a half. How did it go?" JJ asked, handing him a cup of coffee.

"She doesn't remember much about him. She remembers what he did to her, but she said he always wore a mask so she never got to see his face, just his eyes." Derek took a sip of coffee as they headed out the door and back to the office.

"She really seems comfortable around you. I watched you two through the window a bit. You pulled her out of a flashback."

"She said she recognizes my voice from visiting her."

"You visited her?"

"Every night. She needed someone to be there for her. The doctor said that he didn't think she would make it without someone or something to live for. So I figured that I would go and just sit with her. No big deal."

"I think you both needed someone." JJ put her hand on Derek's arm comfortingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You've not been yourself since Michelle left. I'm glad you have something to take your mind off of it."

"Thanks JJ." Derek rolled his eyes; he was tired of everyone being nosey about what was going on in his personal life.

"Derek don't be that way, just talk about it with someone."

"I don't need to talk. I'm fine. I'm going to go talk to Hotch about what Jolene said. I'll see you around."

Derek got out of his SUV and headed for Hotchner's office, not even bothering to stop and wait for JJ. He was happy that Jolene said that she would rather stay with him, but he was frustrated that his entire team seemed to think that they knew what was best for him. He was an adult; he could handle things himself. He had made a mistake by letting Michelle in when he knew that he couldn't give her the attention that she deserved. It was one that he wouldn't be making again.

"Hey Hotch, we're back." Derek said, knocking on the door to his office as he opened the door. Hotch was on the couch at the end of his office surrounded by the files of the case. He looked up as Derek walked in.

"Did you get anything out of her?"

"JJ didn't have any luck; she's pretty shaken. But she did tell _me_ that she remembered everything he did to her, and all that she could see were his eyes. She said he kept a ski mask on the entire time." Derek emphasized that Jolene spoke to him, and wanted to point out that she only felt comfortable because he had visited her when no one else on the team did. Hotch wasn't wrong often, and when he was Derek loved to point it out. However, considering he needed Hotch on his side to approve Jolene moving in with him, he decided not to push his luck too much.

"It fits the MO. He's a coward. He wouldn't want her to see him."

"I've been thinking though. What if it's two different guys? What if one seduces the women in, then another tortures and kills them?" Hotch looked at him for a while and Derek could see the wheels turning in his head.

"So you think someone is luring them in for the real killer?"

"Possibly even setting the fires to cover up the murders."

"Or just the abuse. We found Jolene alive. There's no telling if those other girls died before the fires or from the fires." Hotch looked down at all the pictures around him before looking up again. "Morgan, go to Garcia and tell her your idea. See you can't dig anything up if you try looking at it from a two suspect angle."

Derek nodded and left the room. He walked out of Hotchner's office and headed down to Garcia's lair. He knew that Reid and Prentiss would be sending pictures from the crime scene shortly if they hadn't already, so he would have to go over those with Penelope as well as toss around the idea of there being two suspects rather than just one.

"Hey Sugar, what can I do for you?" Penelope said, glancing up at Derek as he walked through the door.

"I'm working with you today sweetness. And I've got a hunch…"

"You know that I love it when you work with me." She grinned at him and bit her tongue. Derek smiled back; her joyous nature was infectious, even in a job like this.

"Alright baby girl, let's get going. My thought is that we've got two unsubs rather than just one. I think we have one that lures the girls in, and possibly the one who also starts the fires, and one who actually tortures and possibly murders them."

"Possibly?"

"We found Jolene alive before the bomb went off. There's no telling if the other girls were dead before the fire, or if the fire is what eventually killed them."

"Oh those poor girls. What do you need me to do for you baby?"

"Try looking up who owned the houses and see if they were all owned by the same person. Include the two new ones in North Carolina. Maybe if we can catch the arsonist, he can lead us to the murder before he comes looking for Jolene."

"You think he's really going to come looking for her?"

"I do, and when he does, I don't think a gated community will stop him. I'm not even sure I could stop him myself. I really don't want to find out."

"You, my perfectly sculpted chocolate God, could stop anyone. So she's moving in with you?" She was already typing away furiously.

"Yeah, when the doctors let her out she decided she wants to move in with me."

"Well then you and I need to do some serious shopping."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh hot stuff," Penelope laughed at Derek like there was something obvious he was missing, "your house is not female roommate ready, and she doesn't have anything."

"Yeah, I know that." Derek just stared at Penelope waiting on her to explain herself.

"Derek, she doesn't have clothes, shower supplies, things to call her own, things she needs as a wo-"

"Alright baby girl I get the idea no need to elaborate more." Derek chuckled. "You really think of everything you know that?" He kissed the side of her head. "We'll go tonight after I stop in to check on her."

"Do you think that I might be able to come with you?" Penelope's usual confidence was gone and she seemed small as she looked over her shoulder up at Derek.

"Sweetheart I think she would love that. She really needs a friend, and everyone loves you." Derek gave her a hug as her computer pinged.

"Found something. It looks like all the houses in Virginia were owned by one person; a Mr. Rodney Wilson. The two in North Carolina though seem to be random though. One is owned by a Mr. Ethan Grey and the other is owned by the Bank of North Carolina. It was foreclosed on about three years ago."

"Can you find out who owned the house before it was foreclosed on?"

"I can, but it's going to take some time. I can also look more into Mr. Wilson. If you add up the amount of insurance collected from the six houses that were torched, it adds up to $1,500,000."

"That's definitely enough to put him on a suspect list. See what else you can pull up on Rodney Wilson and I'll go update Hotch." Derek kissed Penelope's head again. "You are my hero."

Derek sat in the front seat of his SUV to wait on Penelope to come down from her office. It was 6:45 and they had had a very good day. They went from no suspects at all, to a suspect who Prentiss and Reid were on their way to pick up and bring back to Virginia. Derek reviewed the crime scene photos and the ignition points and he was sure they were from the same person who had set the other fires. Even Hotch was sure this was their guy. Garcia had a tracker on the unsub's cell phone so the next time he turned it on it would automatically alert everyone of his location. They hoped to have him in custody within the next 24 hours.

Derek checked his watch and couldn't help but roll his eyes and laugh at the fact that Penelope was going to make them late. _Always waiting on a woman_. He was about to call her cell when he looked up and saw her walking toward him. He tapped his watch through the window and she playfully flipped him the bird. She climbed into the passenger seat, buckled up, and began to fidget.

"Are you _nervous_ Baby Girl?" Derek had never seen Penelope actually nervous to meet someone before. He'd seen her anxious, distressed, and flustered, but never nervous.

"What if she doesn't like me? What if I scare her? I've never done this like this before." She fiddled with the straps on her bag.

"Penelope, sweetheart, she will love you. You have nothing to be worried about. You are one of the most non-threatening people I know."

"Hey!" Penelope playfully slapped Derek across the chest. "I can be threatening!"

"Maybe to my laptop." Derek laughed as he pulled into the hospital.

"That's not fair." She fake pouted and Derek was glad he could get her mind off of her nerves. He knew that Jolene needed a female friend, and while she hadn't hit it off with JJ he hoped that she would with Penelope.

"Come on. Let's go pretty thing. I'm starving and we're late."

Derek took off towards the hospital feeling excited to see Jolene again. He wanted to get to know her so badly it was like a craving. He made himself stop when he realized that Penelope couldn't keep up in her heels. He let out an exaggerated sigh causing Penelope to laugh at him again. He felt more carefree and playful than he had in months.


	8. Chapter 8

_**AN: Happy Super Clearance Chocolate Day everyone! I hope everyone that celebrated yesterday had a fabulous Valentines Day, and those of you like me who just wait for 2/15 to buy up all the leftovers get a good haul today! So for this week we have Jolene getting introduced to more people. Will it go well? Read it and find out! Tune in next week for moving day!**_

Jolene looked up when she heard the door to her room slide open and a small smile spread across her face as Agent Morgan walked into the room. She was feeling much better than the other times she had seen him. She was still physically weak, but her medications had kicked in and she was feeling much more mentally stable. Some part of her mind doubted if Agent Morgan would come back, but she had something inside of her said that he would.

"Hey honey, how are you feeling?" Agent Morgan walked over and sat on the edge of her bed again.

"Much better. How was your day Agent Morgan?" She smiled at him and he flashed her a grin back. She was so caught up in him that she didn't even realize that he had brought someone else with him.

"Same old same old. I brought someone with me tonight. And please, call me Derek. If we're going to live together this 'Agent Morgan' shit has got to go." Derek laughed and gestured to his friend. Jolene recognized her as one of the agents who had been in her room when she woke up..

"Hi. You're Agent Garcia right?" Jolene tensed slightly but forced herself to remain calm even though everything in her head was screaming at her to shut down.

"Garcia yes, agent no." Garcia looked puzzled and Jolene realized they had never been formally introduced. "Penelope is my first name. How did you know?"

"When I woke up, I heard Agent Hotchner call your name. I remembered it." Jolene shrugged and bit her lip. "Sorry. It's been awhile since I've been around people. I'm a little rusty at … everything." Jolene rung her hands back and forth in her lap and focused her gaze out the window, feeling deflated.

"It's okay." She could almost hear the sunshine in Penelope's voice. "It just threw me off. I didn't think you would remember that."

"Well I don't know about you girls but I'm starving. How about I get us some food?" Derek got up and walked over to read Jolene's chart hanging on the wall.

"I can have solid foods now. Gentle ones." She was excited and she couldn't keep it from her voice. After all, it'd been almost six months since she'd had anything except bread and water, and the last month she hadn't had any solid food at all.

"Well what would you like then?"

"Can you see if I can have an omelet? Ham, mushroom and cheese?"

"I will get you the best hospital omelet that you've ever had. What about you baby girl?" He turned to look at Penelope and Jolene guessed that the two of them were a couple.

"You know what I like Sugar."

They both watched Derek leave. There was a heavy silence between them. Jolene took a deep breath to calm her shaken nerves. She met Penelope's eyes and saw them filled with pity. She was looking at Jolene like everyone else was: like Jolene was a victim. She supposed that she was, but she was tired of it. She was surrounded by so much pity she felt like she was drowning.

"Please don't look at me like that." Jolene almost jumped at her own voice.

"I'm sorry. I know how you feel. Well, not exactly how you feel, but similar to how you feel right now." Jolene could tell there was something behind her rambling, but if she had felt any hint of the hurt that Jolene was feeling now, she didn't want to force Penelope to dredge that up.

"You're nervous." Jolene interrupted whatever Penelope was saying.

"Oh God you're not a profiler too are you?"

"No. I used to write songs and groom dogs. So I guess I'm a dog profiler if anything." Jolene laughed sadly. "I'm bad at the whole people thing remember? It's what got me here in the first place."

"Oh. Right." Penelope looked down at the floor. She hadn't moved from the entry way since arriving.

"Why don't you come in and sit down? The chair that Ag- I mean Derek, used to sit in is still here. You're not going to break me."

"You're not going to punch me are you?" Jolene raised an eyebrow at Penelope as she walked over. "Well, the first thing you did to Derek was punch him so I wasn't sure if you're inability to connect with people was partially due to your greetings." Jolene couldn't help but laugh and Penelope visibly relaxed.

"I like you. I think we're going to be good friends."

"Me too. And Derek clearly likes you too. Welcome to the family. We're all a little crazy, but we take care of each other. I can help you with anything you need. I'm a computer wiz and I volunteer one night a week doing counseling with the families of victims of the cases that we work so if you ever need to talk just let me know. Plus I could only imagine what living with Morgan is going to be like. Working with him is enough for me."

"Aren't you two a couple?" This time it was Penelope's turn to laugh.

"Oh no honey. He's just my work hubby."

"Oh. It just seemed…"

"I know, it seems like more, seems like we're a couple, yada yada. I've heard it all before." Penelope waved her hand dismissively. "Let's talk about you."

"Me? Why, I'm not that interesting."

"Just humor me. Favorite color?"

Jolene squeezed her eyes shut as an unwelcome memory flooded her senses.

" _What's your favorite color darling?"_

" _I like light blue and white."_

" _I'll make sure to paint the house tonight. It should be ready for you to move in on Monday."_

 _Jolene had no idea how much those blue walls would haunt her._

Jolene gasped as Penelope put her hand on Jolene's arm. She closed her eyes and shook her head, willing the flashes out of her head.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Penelope's voice was full of concern.

"I don't know." Jolene was swallowing back the burn of tears.

"I can call a nurse…"

"No I'm okay. I just… I don't know what my favorite color is. Sorry."

"It does get better, I promise." She squeezed Jolene's arm comfortingly. "So dog groomer? You must love dogs."

"Yeah I do. I love animals more than people. Dogs, horses and cats are my favorite. I had these dogs as a little girl, Orpheus and Troy. We found Orpheus as a little two-week-old puppy and my dad helped me raise him. Troy was the farm Collie. Orpheus looked like a small smooth coated version of Troy."

"Do you still have them?"

"No, this was back when I was seven. Troy passed away when I was fourteen and Orpheus followed him three years later on the same day. I haven't had a dog since due to college."

"I used to have a dog. Clooney. He passed away last year." They both turned toward Derek as he walked in with to-go cartons of food. "Food is here and it is hot."

He placed the food containers on the overbed table and wheeled it over. He took off the top box and handed it to Penelope, then grabbed the second box and sat down on the edge of the bed. Jolene moved her box to the side so she could share it with Derek. While everyone else was beginning to eat, Jolene opened her box and just stared at her omelet.

"Is something wrong?" Derek asked.

"No, it's just that…" Jolene swallowed back the all too familiar burn of tears once more. She put down the plastic fork so that they wouldn't notice that her hands were shaking. The simplest things that she used to take for granted were now overwhelming to readjust too. "This is the first time I've eaten something besides bread and water in over six months." Jolene took a deep breath and closed her eyes to steady herself once more. "It's just one of those things that you don't ever expect to take for granted, that you don't realize you take for granted, until something happens that makes you realize that you do and have been."

The room was silent for a minute as everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

"Well, I'm just sorry that your first experience is a hospital omelet because let's be honest, there are far better omelets out there." Derek said as he began eating once more.

A small, amused smile spread across Jolene's face as she picked up her fork and began to eat. The flavors were much richer than she remembered. So much so, she almost couldn't eat. After a few slow bites her body began to adjust and she was able to enjoy the little bit that she did eat. Her stomach was still shrunken and after having been on a feeding tube while she was in a coma and the solid food felt foreign and hard. She was also surprised at how quickly her jaw muscles got tired, but she at least had expected that after so much disuse.

After dinner she was content to sit and listen to Derek and Penelope talk and joke with one another. Jolene asked a few questions about the people and things they were talking about, but for the most part she was content to sit and listen. They each had their own way of making people feel comfortable, and when they were together they made the entire room warm and bright.

Jolene's nurse came in to check on her around 8:00 and gave her another round of medication, including another sedative to help her sleep. Her tests had all come back as expected so if the food she ate for dinner passed through her system without issue, she would be allowed to go home with Derek the following evening.

She wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but she woke up alone in the middle of the night feeling the unforgiving stare of cold coal eyes that weren't there.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hello my ever faithful readers! It's Wednesday again! I had so much fun writing this chapter, the end in particular, and I hope you enjoy reading it as well. I finally get to slowly introduce you all to Jolene's personality, and I hope you fall in love with her as much as I have. As always, review and PM! 3**

Derek woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing on the coffee table. He groaned and reached out to grab it and bring it to his ear. He didn't remember falling asleep after coming home from shopping with Garcia, but found himself waking up on his couch covered with a blanket.

"Go for Morgan."

"Reid and Prentiss tracked Mr. Wilson back into town. They caught him as he went back to his home. They're bringing him in now." Hotchner's voice was not the first thing Morgan wanted to hear in the morning, but the news was at least good.

"I'll be there in 45." Morgan flipped his phone shut and stood and stretched.

"Breakfast is ready." Garcia called from the kitchen, causing him to jump.

"I figured you would be asleep baby girl." She walked over and gave Morgan a hug.

"I napped a bit, but there was too much to get done to really sleep." Garcia handed him a cup of coffee. "Now go eat then shower and change. I've finished making your house girl worthy. I'm going to change and get ready for work."

"I'm sorry I fell asleep. You should have woken me up. I was supposed to help you and then take you home."

"Trust me chocolate thunder, I got a lot more done without you and you needed the sleep. Now go, or we're going to be late."

Derek charged in the office an hour later, a timed four minutes after Penelope as to not raise any suspicion. He sat his things down on top of the mountain of paperwork on his desk and headed to Hotch's office. When he couldn't find him there, Derek flipped his phone open and hit Hotch's speed dial.

"You're late. We're at the prison." Hotch hung up leaving Derek chuckling; out of all the team members, he was the one who was usually late.

Derek grabbed his keys and headed to the prison. When he got there he checked his gun and was led to the room where Hotchner was looking through the one-way window at the unsub.

"Has he said anything?" Derek asked Hotchner as he began studying the unsub as well.

"Not a word since he got here."

"I should talk to him."

"No. Not yet. Later." Derek looked at Hotch and could tell that he was planning something. As much as he wanted to storm in and work over Mr. Wilson, he knew that Hotch had a plan and Derek trusted him.

"What do you need me to do?" Derek turned his attention back to the interrogation room as he awaited Hotch's orders.

"Go see Garcia and get me all the information that she can pull on Mr. Wilson."

"And then?"

"I'll call."

By the time that Derek had a chance to check the clock it was already almost five o'clock. He felt like Hotch kept him running all over downtown Quantico to keep him busy and away from Wilson. Penelope had grabbed him a sandwich that he ate while driving for lunch, but now he was hungry again. As he was sitting down to take a breath and decide what he wanted to eat for dinner his phone started to ring again. He pinched the bridge of his nose and answered without looking at the caller ID, figuring it was Hotch yet again.

"Morgan."

"Mr. Morgan this is the hospital, you were put down as being Ms. Abigail's contact?"

"Is everything alright?" He sat up, his hunger, agitation and weariness instantly forgotten.

"Yes, she's perfectly fine." He could almost hear the nurse smile and picture her amused expression,. "She's just ready to go home and we need you to come pick her up and sign her release papers."

"I'll be right there." He hung up and called Hotch.

"Hotchner."

"Hotch it's Morgan. The hospital just called me and I'm on my way to go get Jolene." Penelope overheard him as she walked by and motioned for him to follow her. He rolled his eyes but followed her nonetheless.

"Bring her by the station before you take her home."

"You got it boss." Derek hung up the phone. "What do you want Baby Girl? I'm on my way out."

"I know, but you need this." Penelope handed him what looked like a go bag.

"I'm just going to the hospital…"

"It's not for you handsome!" she laughed. "It's for Jolene. She needs clothes. I wasn't sure what she would want to wear so I put a few different choices in there."

"Oh. Thanks." He gave her a hug and turned to leave.

"No problem. Just another duckling for momma Garcia." She laughed again and sat back down in her chair as one of her computers dinged.

Derek hurried out the door and over to the hospital.

When he arrived he handed the clothes over to Jolene's nurse so she could change while he signed her release papers, gathered her prescriptions and went over her care instructions with her doctor. His head was swimming with the sheer amount of new information and the doctor asked if Derek needed her to go over everything again.

"No I think I've got it. I've got a print out of her pill schedule, a list of appointments that need to be made with various specialists and therapists as well as check ups, and a list of restrictions, both physical and food, that need to be strictly followed and enforced." Derek added the stack of papers to his briefcase and made a mental note to ask Penelope for more help.

"You sound like a dad. Do you have kids?" The doctor asked. Derek saw her glance at his left hand out of the corner of her eye.

"None yet."

"You sound like you've got everything under control tough guy." She placed a hand on his forearm, and it took everything in Derek not to laugh at her and shake his head hopelessly. He pulled away as he noticed a nurse pushing Jolene their way in a wheelchair.

"Yeah, you could say that. Thank you doctor. Have a good evening." He took over pushing the wheelchair from the nurse. "Hey honey. How ya doing?"

"Much better now. They let me out early for good behavior." She gave him a small smile and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Good behavior you say? Well maybe living with you will help me straighten out my wild side." He flashed her a smile and helped her into the car.

"How far is it to your house?" She asked after he got in.

" _Our_ house is about twenty minutes away, but we have to make a stop first."

Jolene nodded and leaned her head back, and within a few seconds her steady breathing indicated that she had fallen asleep.

Derek hoped that Hotch knew what he was doing, asking Jolene to see the unsub so soon after waking up. Hotch was one of the few people he fully trusted, but sometimes he didn't fully agree with his boss's decisions. He was afraid that seeing her attacker so soon might undo any progress she'd made in the last few days at the hospital. Even with medication she would be unstable.

Derek was so caught up in his thoughts that he jumped when Jolene started awake. He quickly calmed himself before she noticed, chastising himself for being so jumpy and nervous around her. He pulled into the station and parked next to Hotch's black Tahoe.

"The police station? Do they need a statement or something?" Jolene rubbed her eyes and stretched with a wince.

"It'll be quick I promise."

Derek got out and moved to get her wheelchair out of the back of his truck. When he moved around to the passenger side she was already out and standing on shaky legs.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He called out as she took a step toward the door and shot a hand out toward the hood of the truck to steady herself.

"Walking inside." Derek sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Was she going to be this stubborn the entire time?

"You just got out of the hospital. Sit." He pointed to the wheelchair, but she turned away from him.

"I'm fine." She took another unsteady step, leaning heavily on the truck hood, which was running out alarmingly fast.

"You just woke up from a month long coma. You haven't walked in six months, you are not fine, and you need to sit down."

Instead of answering she kept taking slow, uncertain, unsteady steps. _What did I get myself into?_ Derek wondered as he debated if he should just pick her up and force her into the wheelchair or not. He abandoned the wheelchair next to the truck and hurried to her side in case she fell, which _he_ knew was inevitable, but it clearly wasn't stopping her at all. He took a few moments to study her face.

She was determined, her mouth set in a hard line and her eyes focused on the ground. Her brows were furrowed and he noticed that she was biting her top lip as she struggled through putting one foot in front of the other. She held her hands out for balance, but reached up and tucked her mahogany hair behind her ear when it fell forward. Derek noted that her legs were becoming more unstable and he prepared himself to catch her.

It happened in the blink of an eye. Suddenly her ankle gave out and she began to fall forward. Derek reached for her while she twisted surprisingly quickly in the air, as if it was her body's natural reaction. He caught her before she hit the ground, his hand cradling her head protectively and his fingers tangled in her hair. To an onlooker, it might have looked like he dipped her for a kiss.

"Are you okay?" He asked, looking into her eyes for a second too long before flitting his gaze away.

"I'm okay. I just miss walking, that's all." Her hand was holding onto the sleeve of his t-shirt, but she relaxed as he picked her up off the ground with ease.

"Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?" He placed her in the wheelchair and began wheeling her towards the entrance.

"Do what?"

"You're recovery. You know that you're not supposed to walk until after your physical therapist gives you the okay to start trying _slowly_ and in _controlled_ environments. Not fresh out of the hospital through a police station parking lot."

"Oh, and you expect me to believe that you've never _pushed_ your boundaries before?"

"All I'm saying is you need to follow your doctor's orders. Then you'll be walking around in no time."

She didn't say anything back, and instead stayed quiet while Derek pushed her inside. He could tell by the slight change of her posture and her sudden withdrawal that she was nervous and frightened. He wished that he could take her place, but they needed her to ID this unsub. Derek stopped and put his hand on her shoulder. She jumped beneath his touch.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. You don't even need to be in the same room as him, and I'm going to be right here with you the entire time okay?" He walked around and knelt down so he could be face to face with her.

"Promise?" He could see her eyes were dark with fear and the determination that had lit up her face earlier had all but vanished.

"I promise I will always be right here to protect you whenever you need it." She nodded and wiped a tear as it fell from her eye. "Are you ready? We can stay out here in the hallway for a few minutes if you want."

"No, let's get this over with. I'm ready to go home."

Derek wheeled her into the room where Hotch was waiting for them. He saw Jolene tense again and his heart went out to her. He knew she hadn't met Hotch on the best of circumstances, and his boss was a very intimidating guy. Derek nodded at Hotch and rested his hand on Jolene's shoulder for support. His lips hardened into a line as she trembled beneath his hand. _We shouldn't be doing this now._ He clenched his jaw as Hotch knelt to be face to face with Jolene.

He didn't focus on the conversation. Instead he stared ahead through the window in the front of the room. Inside sat a short balding man with glasses. Rodney Wilson had thick jaws and he looked average. He had his hands folded in front of him and he was looking around the room as if he was looking to buy the station. Derek instantly hated him.

Derek's attention snapped back to the room he was in as soon as he felt the warmth of Jolene's hand on his. She took a shaky, unsteady breath and looked up at him. Hotch backed away so that Derek could push her up to the window, but he hesitated.

"Okay. I'm ready."

Derek pushed her up to the window and felt her tense. He heard her breath hitch and saw her hands gripping the armrests of her wheelchair so hard that her knuckles were white. He was expecting an incoherent sob, but when she did speak a few moments later, her voice was hard and even.

"He's the man who gave me the house," a single tear fell down her cheek, "but he's not the man who beat me."


End file.
